NAT "KING" COLE - Year by Year - Part 3

The stage at the El Rancho Vegas:

 

In a some sort of publication called Fabulous Las Vegas, on a couple of pages is this promotion of El Rancho Vegas, January 16, 1954.

 

Never heard of this show. I was always under the impression that these tracks, excluding "Too Young to Go Steady," were never released. I guess you learn something new every day. Anyone else ever seen this before?

 

Nat was good friends with Jimmy McHugh and got first crack at the songs from the show, which closed pretty soon after it premiered.

 

I got to thinking that besides his main drummer, Lee Young, Nat King Cole here and there played and sang with some exceptional drummers:

Max Roach

Dave Tough

Buddy Rich

Shelly Manne

Louis Bellson

Alvin Stoller

Sonny Payne

Big Sid Catlett (this was a reported jam session, but no recording)

and there were others...

 

Today I received one of the last transfers of NAT MEETS JUNE with the Metronome All Stars, so I will be comparing the three different takes and their various issues.

 

For fun, I listed each of the Metronome All Stars in their solo bit on NAT MEETS JUNE. The list is the same for all 3 versions except for Nat starting on Take 4 by laying down the chords. One place I am not 100% sure is the sax noodling behind Nat's vocal. Is that Johnny Hodges?

Here is their order of appearance on the V-Disc and probably the first Columbia 78 take:

Harry Carney, baritone sax
June Christy, (with Lawrence Brown, trombone, in background)
Nat King Cole (with ? Johnny Hodges, alto sax, in background)
Buddy Rich, drums
Johnny Hodges, alto sax
Lawrence Brown, trombone
Charlie Shavers, trumpet
Coleman Hawkins, tenor sax
Eddie Safranski, bass
Nat Cole & Buddy Rich, piano and drums
Ensemble ride out

 

December 15, 1946

The easiest way to identify the 3 different takes issued of NAT MEETS JUNE is by these lines that Nat changes in each take.

Take 1
Nat sings at approx 1:25

"Cuz if you try hard enough
Sure you find a man somehow."​

Take 2
Nat sings at approx 1:20

"You could find somebody else
All you have to do is try."​

Take 4
Nat sings at approx 1:40

"I am sure you'll find somebody else
All you have to do is try."​

There are, of course, some other musical differences here and there.

 

TAKE 2 NAT MEETS JUNE

Take 2 is around 3:10 and is the take on the two V Disc CDs and is the probable initial Columbia 78.

Sources:
Take 2
LP
Metronome All-Stars
(Japanese) CBS/SONY SOPM 188 (includes takes 1 & 2), [1970's]

Take 2
CD
The Best of the War Years
Stardust CLP 1060-2, 2001

Take 2
CD
V DISC - King Cole Trio
Collector's Choice, 1997

Take 2
CD
Nature Boy
Living Era CD AJA 5480, 2003

Strangely, it seems this take has never had an official re-issue.

In my opinion, the best sounding issue of Take 2 is on the Living Era CD - Nature Boy. David Lennick did the transfers and Simon Haram the remastering.

The Japanese LP is a worn-sounding needledrop, and the two V-Disc CDs are not quite as musically engaging as the Living Era CD.

The Japanese 1970's LP:




The Stardust CD:



The Collector's Choice CD:



The Living Era CD:



Maybe tomorrow - sources for Take 1 which was first issued on LP in 1955.

 

Glad you're giving Nat Meets June (that was G rated right?) a good look-over, Dale. Can give me a headache. Sorry I've been quiet here recently; I've been writing (not Nat related alas) which doesn't always agree with distraction and boy can this forum distract one!

 

TAKE 1 - Nat Meets June

I found three Take 1's on LP and only one on CD. Whether it was ever issued on 78 will have to await the proof of one.

It was issued on a 10 inch LP in 1955 from the master I presume, and then on a 12 inch LP in 1957 by Columbia.

Sources:

Take 1
10" LP
The Metronome All-Stars. Columbia CL 2528. 1955

Take 1
12" LP
Metronome All-Stars Harmony HL 7044. 1957

Take 1
12" LP
Metronome All-Stars. (Japanese) CBS/SONY SOPM 188. (includes takes 1 & 2) [1970's]

Take 1
2CD
Summit Meetings: Metronome All Stars/Esquire All Stars 1939-1950. Fremeaux & Associates FA5050. 2003
French production. Transfers & mastering: Art et Son Studio.

If you want a CD for this take, there is only one choice, but my favorite for sound is the 1955 10" LP with the 1957 LP a close second. I happened to get a very good 1955 vinyl disc. I can hear the acoustics in places. The Japanese LP is OK, nothing special.




The 10 inch LP & label:






The 12 inch Harmony cover:





The French CD cover:

 

Yes, I had to do comparisons at various times to avoid overload.

Distractions?? You mean like this?



Some June Christy photos:

 

TAKE 4 -- Nat Meets June
mxCO.37177-4

This take didn't get issued until 1987. It was on an album series called Columbia Jazz Masterpieces. This particular album was a compilation called The 1940s -- The Singers. They all had a logo that said: Digitally Remastered Directly from the Original Master Tapes. The digital restoration and engineering is by Larry Keyes. Both the LP and the CD are digitally remastered. I didn't hear any difference in the two.

Chris Albertson, a forum member, wrote the brief notes in 1987 for each of the 16 tracks.

I really like this take, but some might not like the pace. It is 3:40 minutes long. It starts out with a slower blues feel. Then when they shift to the uptempo instrumental portion after the vocals, the timing is not as frantic as was the custom about then with bop and Woody Herman's Herd. I prefer some of the jazz solos here too. There may be a drum clinker where the ensemble joins together in the rideout. Buddy Rich hits the drum twice? making it seem like he missed the downbeat.

Overall, my favorite version.



Take 4
LP
The 1940s -- The Singers
Columbia CJ 40652. 1987.

Take 4
CD
The 1940s-- The Singers
Columbia CK 40652. 1987.




The same cover appears on both versions:

 

The sixteen tracks on the album The 1940s –The Singers

01 - (3:08) St. Louis Blues - Maxine Sullivan With John Kirby & His Orchestra
02 - (2:48) Low Down Dirty Shame Blues - Joe Turner With Joe Sullivan & His Cafe Society Orchestra
03 - (3:00) I'm Nobody's Baby - Mildred Bailey
04 - (2:58) Jack Hits the Road - Jack Teagarden With Bud Freeman & His Famous Chicagoans
05 - (3:19) Topsy Turvy - Cab Calloway With Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
06 - (3:50) All of Me - Billie Holiday With Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
07 - (2:38) Palm Springs Jump - Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart With Slim Gaillard & His Flat Foot Floogie Boys
08 - (3:10) Skylark - Gene Krupa And His Orchestra With Anita O'day
09 - (3:04) Take Me Back, Baby - Jimmy Rushing With Count Basie & His Orchestra
10 - (3:13) On the Sunny Side of the Street - Peggy Lee With Benny Goodman & His Sextet
11 - (3:02) Knock Me a Kiss - Gene Krupa & His Orchestra With Roy Eldridge
12 - (2:40) When My Baby Left Me - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson With Cootie Williams & His Orchestra
13 - (3:03) Caldonia - Woody Herman With Woody Herman & His Orchestra
14 - (3:08) St. James' Infirmary - Hot Lips Page With Hot Lips Page & His Orchestra
15 - (3:40) Nat Meets June - Nat "King" Cole & June Christy With the Metronome All Stars
16 - (3:14) Summertime - Sarah Vaughan

 

The information about sources for the Metronome track came from Teubig's Cole discography and a Christy one called The Misty Miss Christy Discography.

Unfortunately, Teubig got a couple of details wrong from what I can gather. He put the V-Disc version as Take 1, when both CDs of Nat King Cole's V-Discs have Take 2. He also listed the Harmony LP Take as number 2 when it is clearly Take 1.

Teubig shows that both Take 1 & 2 were issued on Columbia 78s. I don't have any other confirmation of that - yet.

 

Dale, there is a CD called Rare War Time Recordings that has this track on it. Can you tell which take it is from the clip?

Here's a link on Amazon. There is a longer clip on itunes along with what looks like one other version on a couple other CDs. The version on this CD sounds the best of what's available there.

 

That would be TAKE 2. The list of the Rare War Time Recordings is the same as the 17 tunes on the Collector's Choice CD of V-Discs
and is probably a straight copy of that CD, but I can't vouch for that or the sound. I notice it is a CD-R. The Collector's Choice CD is still available for a little over 8 bucks, but if you are just wanting that one track, that is the source, no doubt.

 

Not sure it's been mentioned, but the Nat King Cole Hip-O Select set is less than fifteen dollars today at amazon.com

 

Thanks so much for that. Just snapped up a set. A real bargain!

 

Lonson, that is some bargain you found. And to think I paid list price for it.

With 53 tracks that is not quite 28 cents per track, right?

 

While checking out a link in another post, I came across a copy of the AFM contract for session work for five tracks from Dear Lonely Hearts. Thought it was interesting from an historical aspect.

The entire document can be found here.

 

Thanks, Coleman. Before I saw the scan I thought it was a contract from one of the NY sessions, but no such luck. Really is too bad that non-L.A. session sheets are unavailable.

 

Ralph Carmichael

There's Part One of a fascinating interview with Ralph Carmichael on Marc Myers' Jazzwax today: here.

 

Thanks for this alert. I, too, just ordered a copy. It looks fabulous. A limited-edition set in a 7-inch custom box with a nice book and a lot of newly remastered, essential Nat. I think the list price on this is set is $60!

 

Thanks, Ian. Looking forward to the next installment.